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Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13161, 7 July 1908, Page 13

"My doa>r Uc<\ {'y-tluT would novw think twice aiwivu it. 1 am quito sur© tliat if you had uiadw a solemn doc-kir-a-lion in a loirj; iutUir, tliut youx uinpio's nione-y had died with him and rtiat you wore- quito without means of su-pport, and that you uito-ndrd to become a —• woli, amytolvmg,, a " "A cook," s-uid Bcartirioo grimly. "'A rook—n.nd tii.i.t cwnswj-ueutly you must di'oluie iii« danyhtor's mvilatinn to spouid a month in the country with li-e.r, ho would cu<inj)l>' hwv« thw-ugQit hou-prtM-tLly conti<li«>iitii«l ywi wwo, }',o \voul<l m.ili<lly have woii(.i"i'j«l why you had ohoson liini lo> crjiiiklc in. an<l hv> would havo considoixHl your alt-crttl ciroumetaoiocs only tai a<ld<ril r<«isoti for comLntf ix 3 ius, to havo a nii:c iioliday bof&ro your fltwk U-^an. , Beatrice laughT/l in h-pjto of hersoJf. '•I can quite )x>Lit>vo yon," she adnu/t----t<xl. "Your father is siioh an uaiworldly angel. Jint it, <lot«n't altec fJve foot that i cc-rtaanl , " owht not to havo visii'Uxl iwijioaio—ssiiiiing, as I havo l>eon, under Ui,\.-a\ colours, ''lihore a.re others, you »co —your otihor p^coto.' , "Tllrere aro otvly thy t-wo, and ltosiic LaficeJlcs would think just as I .thinJt; and she has taten an enoT'inous fancy to you." "i"«e, and that makes it worse. 9ho wante mo to do this and the othor wttli her, to stay wdt/h her in the 'Mitusmn, and moot hor ou the Continent in the &i>ri»g. And, of ccwurenv, 1 shall not only be hard at work at the tkno, uirt think of the horror of Ikt very "oxclusivo" old dragon of an'fliuint, at the thought of Rosie's intiimaov with a 'cook!' and tKeii there is Datfh■\vood. 11« is tlie very persoa to d<jte»jt a-woman who 'did bhangs. . Ho is just -the sort of Kton-()xford-uppor-te<n-thousand man. wiio wmild feed, if he know the tmi-th. »« if h« lwud txxMii assoMatdiig with tho housemaid by mwtaJke."

Beatrice's cheelcs. had flushed as she uttered tlhis last tinado. and there was something in her voice which would have l>ot_-s_.y-xl to a . keen ear a dosu'to thai her v-Jrement accusation of Mr Dashwood might be contratliicted. But Helen, for onoe, was u-uob_orvaut; hor mi_id wii- for the moment elweTling upon George Da*.l wood himself. "Ye—cs," sit.* admitted slowly, "I daresay Ho would, thoughtlessly, be rathe.-" that sort. Not," ah.*, hawtencd to add, "that-he i.s a fc'___._i : snob; ho wouldn't'ba my friend if be- h:i<l amy noneem-e of that kiind mi hi.tn. But" he simply -lias never contemplated any other state of tilings than what ho was brought up to. Tlhat a womain in lies s_st sihould work .for her living, and, ospc-iially. should work with hor hands, would probably be an i_nam_.lv lo him. He would think t-he coull'dn't be both, of his sot <°.nd a work_ng-wom-.il, and —oh, 800, Bee!" Heiktn sitopped short, and held out her hand iimpi-lsively, for B-C-trico had turned, ia her distress, and her face had revealed something. "I have hurt you I I didn't think! I didn't guess— '—" . "There is no.himg dither to tirwnk or to gues., Nell be, mv dear," Beatrice laughed brave! v. "On.lv—well, t'hore might liave been, perhaps, if I wero not going away to-morrow —and going to bo a cook." t) "Are you sure, .d-cair —I believe "No, "no, it is all right, Helen. Don't trouble nbout mc. And now that I've confessed, a.nd told you how I yielded to tho temptation of your invitation to have just one little spoil of happiness bciforo I forsook the- life I know for the life 1 must know for uhe future. I want you to do mo two moro favours. 'First,' please give mc an opportunity to tell Rosie a.id Mr Dashwood the truth in my own way before I loave tho house to-morrow; aaid, .secondly, please promise mo that 3-ou will never give my new address to anyone." . .

"Of course. I'll do anything you wish, de*ar. But ' if you think th_-t, your cakes, and pies ore going to keep mc awa-v from you, you are mistaken. I think "you are" wiso, and plucky, and enterpriisi-ng. aaid I feed in my bones that you will be a prize pupil, and I hopo " "1 hopo I may livo to make your weddintg-cake." "Don't talk nonsense to a girl who will never eoii-.iU.r a-ny mam equal to her own father. Ami listen, ,tihore's the luncheon-bell. and ovcen, that father e.,ix*_n't care to bo ke.pt waiting.'' And with a laugh Helen hurried away. . , The opportunity for one of Beatrices confessions soon came, for when tho quartette of you rig folks hael seen "Sir Dick," Helen's father, through Coi_rtiiokl entranc.? gates on his. way to a council meeting in the neighbouring town. He-leu t.x*k l_c*.i« oft to the kitchen garden, to .-how her wlia.t growing onions looked like, and IVeatrico anel George; IXashwood strolled back towarels tho house. "Levi us sit in the shade and bo lazy till the onion u-spe-tore return," stigg-6t_d George. "1 musft go and pock," sighed Beatrice, sinking on to a stiat. "Noii-ense, that can wait. It won't t__ke you five minutes to tc_l the maid about" packing." "Tell tbe maid! I am going to pack m-v trunks myself." George turned on bis arm, as he lay on tbe grass at her feet. "Yoa are not," he bega_i solemnly, "you—are— not going to become a strong -minded woman?" "Was I ever a weak-minded one?" she dexo-wnded. "Ah, there's a world of di_feremc_ between them," he d_cl__X'd melt-dra-matically. "Weil, I hope to become a _strong/tfroed woman, at any i-ato," sho retorted. "Hockey?" he groaned. "No." "Rowing?" "No." ' 'Piano-thumping ?" "No." "Don't, I plead,, don't bc'a.chauff _,ise.'" "There is no fear ot" that,*' .she assured him dryly. "I wish you could have seen my

mother's fa_e." he conthmcd. with a laugh at the _*-C__leet»k»n..'"vvhwi she heard that Maude Stormaw-ay had flown in the facet, of her pastors and masters, a_id iticsio-ed on becoming a proi._sioi.al chauffeur."

'•Site was disgusted, I suppose?" "Horrified! Sire can't stand women who, as she eV*.cribr» it 'do things.' In a flash lirat.-.v re>meiiil.-*r..i the vory word" _-he herself h.ul used to Helon —"He is the very person to detest a .woman who 'did things.' " "And a-ro you of the same way ot thinking?" she asked lightly. "Well," Ik* laughed, "it really doesn't matter to iik> what- a lot of female* ec-<-*nt.ri_s choose to do, I supp __■_■; but I'm always jolly glad they've no connections of mine. I confess 1 shouldn't care to have'anyone be .oii'niig to mc going about tub-thumping, or smelling of petrol, and wearing glasses and short hair."